Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a compressor.
Description of the Background Art
A compressor includes a cylinder block, a front housing, a rear housing, and a valve-forming plate or the like. The valve-forming plate is interposed between the cylinder block and the rear housing. The cylinder block forms a compression chamber inside a cylinder bore. The rear housing forms a discharge chamber toward which a refrigerant compressed in the compression chamber is discharged, and an accommodation chamber accommodating a check valve therein and communicating with the discharge chamber through the check valve.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-346218, the compressor includes a discharge passage for delivering the refrigerant compressed in the compression chamber to an external device (a condenser, for example). In the compressor disclosed by the document, the valve-forming plate is formed by an intake valve, a valve plate, a discharge valve and a retainer, and the discharge passage is formed in the rear housing, the valve-forming plate and the cylinder block.
In the case where the discharge passage is formed in the rear housing, the valve-forming plate and the cylinder block, the valve-forming plate is provided with a communication hole functioning as a part of the discharge passage. The rear housing is provided with a passage for communicating the accommodation chamber accommodating the check valve therein with the communication hole formed in the valve-forming plate. The cylinder block is provided with a connection portion to be connected to an external device (a condenser, for example), and another passage for communicating the connection portion with the communication hole formed in the valve-forming plate.
Conventionally, it was difficult to increase flexibility in design of these passages. Specifically, in a conventional compressor, since the communication hole provided in the valve-forming plate has a small dimension (flow passage area), there is only limited installation range (such as the installation angle and the installation position) inside which these passages may communicate with the small communication hole.
An object of the present invention is to provide a compressor capable of achieving a high flexibility in designing a discharge passage.